FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 8.16.22

श्रीअदितिरुवाच केनाहं विधिना ब्रह्मन्नुपस्थास्ये जगत्पतिम् । यथा मे सत्यसङ्कल्पो विदध्यात् स मनोरथम् ॥ २२ ॥
śrī-aditir uvāca
[shree-aditir uvaacha]
kenāhaṁ vidhinā brahmann
[kenaaham vidhinaa brahmann]
upasthāsye jagat-patim
[upasthaasye jagat-patim]
yathā me satya-saṅkalpo
[yathaa me satya-sankalpo]
vidadhyāt sa manoratham
[vidadhyaat sa manoratham]
śrī-aditiḥ uvāca — Śrīmatī Aditi began to pray kena — by which aham — I vidhinā — by regulative principles brahman — O brāhmaṇa upasthāsye — can please jagat-patim — the Lord of the universe, Jagannātha yathā — by which me — my satya-saṅkalpaḥ — desire may actually be fulfilled vidadhyāt — may fulfill saḥ — He (the Supreme Lord) manoratham — ambitions or desires.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-aditir uvāca
śrī-aditiḥ uvāca
Śrīmatī Aditi began to pray
kenāhaṁ vidhinā brahmann
kena
by which
aham
I
vidhinā
by regulative principles
brahman
O brāhmaṇa
upasthāsye jagat-patim
upasthāsye
can please
jagat-patim
the Lord of the universe, Jagannātha
yathā me satya-saṅkalpo
yathā
by which
me
my
satya-saṅkalpaḥ
desire may actually be fulfilled
vidadhyāt sa manoratham
vidadhyāt
may fulfill
saḥ
He (the Supreme Lord)
manoratham
ambitions or desires.
Śrīmatī Aditi said: O brāhmaṇa, tell me the regulative principles by which I may worship the supreme master of the world so that He will be pleased with me and fulfill all my desires.

It is said, “Man proposes, God disposes.” Thus a person may desire many things, but unless these desires are fulfilled by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they cannot be fulfilled. Fulfillment of desire is called satya-saṅkalpa. Here the word satya-saṅkalpa is very important. Aditi placed herself at the mercy of her husband so that he would give her directions by which to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead so that all her desires would be fulfilled. A disciple must first decide that he should worship the Supreme Lord, and then the spiritual master will give the disciple correct directions. One cannot dictate to the spiritual master, just as a patient cannot demand that his physician prescribe a certain type of medicine. Here is the beginning of worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (7.16) :

catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ janāḥ sukṛtino ’rjuna ārto jijñāsur arthārthī jñānī ca bharatarṣabha

“O best among the Bhāratas, four kinds of pious men render devotional service unto Me — the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.” Aditi was ārta, a person in distress. She was very much aggrieved because her sons, the demigods, were bereft of everything. Thus she wanted to take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead under the direction of her husband, Kaśyapa Muni.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Aditi said: O brāhmaṇa! Tell me the rules by which I may worship the master of the world, so that the Lord, who fulfills desires, will fulfill all my desires. Satya-saṅkalpaḥ means “the Lord by whom vows come true.”
Tell me the regulative principles by which I may worship Him. Aditi asks for method, not promises. The mature student of dharma wants the precise practice, not just the promised result.
Reflection Questions
  • Do my prayers focus on the result I want or on the method I am willing to follow?
  • Where am I waiting for results without committing to the practice that produces them?
📝 My note

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